Petition for the fair allocation of GEM vacancies for 3rd and 4th year NUS students |
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 Ever since the changing of GEM module codes, the number of module vacancies reserved for older cohorts has been unfairly allocated such that out of 100/200+ vacancies, only 1-15 are reserved for older cohorts and the rest are reserved for the newer cohorts to bid for starting from round 2A. How does this make sense when there are thousands of year 3 and 4s? And you are forcing them to fight over a paltry 10 or so vacancies? Obviously, the demand far outstrips the supply for these paltry number of vacancies for the older cohort every bidding season. This leads to students being forced to take modules they have no interest or passion in, just so they are able to clear their graduation requirements. Not only that, they are forced to spend all their bidding points (that they have saved up for years) on a single module that they may not even get, which leads to their academic timetable hanging in the balance. To make things worse, the vacancies left unfilled by the newer cohort are left as such. A popular analogy here would be the story of a bus being 10% filled (by the newer cohort), yet the conductor only allows a meagre 1% of the remaining seats to be filled by commuters who have spent a longer time waiting for the bus (the older cohort). Furthermore, the cohorts affected by this have been saving up their bidding points for years, always biding their time and points until the time they would finally be able to take the modules they desire. But all this saving, this taking of less desirable modules in hope of being able to study something they are passionate in in their last years in NUS, has all come to naught thanks to the administration's apathy to our plight. Despite repeated semesters of calls for change to this clearly unfair allocation, the administration has continued to turn a deaf ear to its students' pleas for help. They have continuously got off scot-free without even needing to provide an explanation for these highly inappropriate decisions. Repeatedly, lines of communication to those in higher management who are responsible for these unjust allocation decisions have been cut off to prevent students from voicing their displeasure. Changes have not been made at all - even worse, the number of vacancies has been steadily and drastically decreasing with each passing semester. As paying students of the university as well as passionate pursuers of knowledge, we hereby petition for the following:
1. Fair and equal allocation of vacancies for GEM modules for both the newer and older cohorts
2. A public inquiry into this matter with those responsible being brought to justice as well as
3. An explanation from those responsible for these unfair and discriminatory decisions We have always respected NUS as an upright and forthcoming institution supporting its students in the pursuit of knowledge, but right now, the administration's actions serve to undermine these values held by the university by squashing thousands of students' chances to pursue further knowledge in their fields of interest. Ignoring us for another semester will not make this problem or our indigence at this unfairness go away (as the higher management seems to think it will). Simply because we are graduating does not mean you will be getting rid of us so soon. We will not let this matter rest and will continuously pursue this matter through all available avenues. If need be we will continue to pursue this matter far beyond graduation. We will not let this injustice continue. This petition was first created on Change.org on 6 January 2017. |
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